Published 8:35 pm, Friday, December 10, 2010

The $192,000 donation from the Manufacturer's Association of Southern Connecticut, Inc., will be used to support scholarship awards to Housatonic students living in greater Bridgeport and pursuing studies related to the manufacturing industry.

"We believe our donation in support of the technology programs at HCC is an exceedingly good use of our funds," said Don Janezic, chief financial officer of Bigelow Tea Company and current MASC chairman. Janezic is also on the foundation.

"MASC has had a long-term commitment to preserving, promoting and protecting manufacturing in Southern Connecticut, and we can think of no better way to fulfill our mission than by encouraging and supporting the education of students entering the manufacturing industry," Janezic added in a written statement.

Anita Gliniecki, president of Housatonic, said the income from the gift will be used to support full or part-time scholarships for up to a half-dozen students annually in the community college's technology and pre-engineering and pre-environmental science programs. There are about 80 students in Housatonic's pre-engineering and College of Technology programs.

"Anything directly relating to manufacturing," said Gliniecki, who said the association has given to the college in the past and was in the process of liquidating its investment. The association selected Housatonic as well as other area colleges as recipients.

"They saw the community college as a vehicle for leveraging the funds because students that come into our industrial tech program enter for two years then transfer into other universities," said Maureen Dowdle, Housatonic's director of Institutional Advancement.

Janezic said the association had its roots in the city and in Housatonic saw the opportunity to use the money to help educate manufacturing company employees who work on the shop floor. Many get their basic and technical skills, be it in electrical, drafting, technology or manufacturing, at a college like Housatonic.

Gliniecki said the association recognized that most production workers need an associates degree or better to get by. At Housatonic, students heading for a career in industrial engineering can take a two-year pre engineering program and then transfer to a four-year college. The college has agreements with several area colleges that allow for seamless transitions.

After 10 years, the income from the gift may be used at the discretion of the foundation's scholarship committee.

The association has provided scholarship money to Housatonic in the past. Housatonic received two $150,000 gifts during its major capitol campaign that ended two years ago.